Fla. Court Denies 'Stand Your Ground' in Fan Fight.

Source: NYT/AP

A federal immigration agent has lost his "stand-your-ground" appeal in a stabbing at a football game in Florida.

A three-judge panel of the 1st District Court of Appeal on Friday rejected the appeal from University of Miami fan Edward Mederos. He is charged with aggravated battery with a deadly weapon, namely, his government-issued knife.

Mederos claimed he acted in self-defense to protect a friend, a Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms agent, from a rival fan outside Florida State University's stadium in Tallahassee in 2009.

A trial judge rejected his pretrial claim of immunity under Florida's "stand your ground" law. It lifts the requirement to retreat before using deadly force in self-defense.

1. YOU PAYIN ATTENTION ZIMMERMAN YOU COWARDLY FREAK

2. I'm glad to see these SYG laws being limited in application......

There must be sufficient evidence that the facts did not support a self-defense based on SYG. Some people in states that have enacted SYG believe they are justified in using physical force on a whim. It must only be justified when someone had a compelling reason to believe his or her life was in danger.